Opinion

Many little girls grow up dreaming of a chance to participate in the annual Junior Miss program. And that dream came true for one local young woman this year.

MeLeigha Pollock will represent Taylor County at the state competition this weekend in Lexington.

MeLeigha will put her best foot forward and do an outstanding job, as have all those who have gone before her. She will participate this weekend in the talent, self-expression, fitness, judges' interview and scholastics preliminaries, with the finals set for Saturday evening.

It's unfortunate, but there will always be people who believe they're entitled to something for nothing - and that something may be yours.

In the past, we've passed along tips from local law enforcement officials on how to keep our Christmas safe from the ultimate Grinch. And with the struggling economy, there could be even more thieves prowling our neighborhoods at night.

Most thefts and burglaries occur between December and February, according to Campbellsville Police Chief Dennis Benningfield. And because of that, we should all be a little more careful.

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

If you've been having trouble getting into the holiday spirit, this past weekend was made just for you. And there's plenty more to come in the next few weeks.

From the live nativity scene at Miller Park - and the accompanying Christmas music at the amphitheater, Saturday's Christmas parade and Sunday's Campbellsville Woman's Club Christmas Home Tour to the concerts over the weekend - and yet to come - at Campbellsville University, there were plenty of opportunities for entertainment.

The Central Kentucky News-Journal will celebrate its 100th birthday this year. In almost 10 decades of service, the newspaper has moved from newcomer to welcomed friend. With a close eye on serving our community, the paper has become a healthy business interest and we owe much of it to our faithful readers.

Much has changed in the past 100 years and as we prepare to head into a new year, you will notice one obvious change on the front page of today's issue.

After competing in numerous national tournaments in many sports in its storied history, Campbellsville University claimed the school's first national team championship when the Lady Tigers captured the National Christian College Athletic Association Volleyball Tournament on Saturday in Kissimmee, Fla.

Coach Randy LeBleu's squad won all six matches in the three-day tourney to bring home the top hardware.

The war in Afghanistan isn't going well. The economic recovery isn't producing many new jobs. The banks that pushed the nation to the brink of a 1930s-style Depression with their reckless ways - having sucked up billions of taxpayer dollars in rescue money - are resuming those reckless ways. There isn't enough swine flu vaccine to go around.

And now for some bad news:

Nielsen, the company that clocks television viewing in this country, has found that children between the ages of 2 and 5 are watching an average of 25 hours of television each week.

The Central Kentucky News-Journal welcomes letters on a variety of topics, including letters about political races and candidates.

We anticipate there will be letters written supporting and possibly criticizing candidates. If you support a candidate, write and tell our readers the reasons why. If there's a candidate you don't particularly like, you can write about that, too.

Use good taste and don't libel anyone. You can say what you believe, but personal attacks or allegations that cannot be verified will not be accepted.

Today is a day officially set aside as a time for gratitude. And those of us who live in Campbellsville and Taylor County have so much for which to be grateful.

Most of us will sit down with family members and friends for a meal that can only be described as a feast. We can also be thankful that we have friends and neighbors and churches who will be there for those who don't have family and friends nearby or for those who don't have the resources to provide their own feasts.

A city official stopped at The Lebanon Enterprise office this week. When staff members joked with her about running for a state office, her reply was no, she wasn't interested.

"That's real politics," she said.

Based on what we've seen so far from the campaigns to fill the vacant District 14 State Senate seat, we're inclined to agree with her. District 14 includes Marion, Mercer, Nelson, Taylor and Washington counties.

Our community does an outstanding job of celebrating and decorating this time of year. School plays, church choirs, parades and celebrations are popping up all around us. All we have to do is pay attention.

With all the activities at hand, we'd be hard pressed not to close our eyes and hear the jingle of sleigh bells and the Ho-Ho-Ho of that bearded gentleman from the north.

But let's not forget the true meaning of Christmas as we make our rounds during this holiday season.

Through the mist and mythical creatures at Campbellsville High School's Hamilton Auditorium on Tuesday night, the crowd was treated to something a bit unusual, something they might have never seen before - a Bunraku puppet show.

Wood and Strings Theatre brought Bunraku puppets to the stage and performed "Out of the Mist ... a Dragon," a tale of a young man's journey of self-discovery.

The production was the second of this year's Central Kentucky Arts Series' season. And it was enjoyed by many.

While Memorial Day is a day set aside to remember and honor military personnel who died in service to their country, Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor those among us who are serving their country today or who have served in the past.

And Wednesday is that day.

When we think of veterans, many of us automatically think of people our grandfather's age. But that's certainly not the case. Many young men and women in their early 20s are now veterans who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq.